Happy National Neonatal Nurses Day!

Today I wanted a blog post to recognize some of the most amazing people God brought into our lives. We are so appreciative of the whole NICU staff and doctors at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, but the nurses we had the privilege to meet are on a whole different level! You all are such an amazing part of our lives because you all were there taking care of not one, but BOTH of our sweet little girls!From the very first day that Trenna was brought into the H-pod, we had a very special nurse that became our primary, Julie. She was so great with the girls and me right from the start and  every day that she works, I not only looked forward to coming in and spending the day with the girls, but also to get to chat with her. She watched over the girls as if they were her own and were very protective of them and got things done! We joked and called her our "tour guide Julie" because on Saturday evenings, when Trevor was up to visit, she talked us into going out and getting some fresh air to help keep our sanity.... and it worked! I was a bit hesitant to leave the babies and even felt a bit guilty to go out at first, but knowing that she was there to watch them made me feel so much more comfortable and I was able to go. And because we went out Saturday evenings and I didn't stay the night during the week at the hospital, we also had 2 more PM primaries, Sam and Tam. These wonderful ladies worked the sleepiest time 7pm-7am! And again, I started out feeling guilty for leaving my babies with someone else when I felt I should be taking care of them day AND night, but these ladies knew their stuff and were so awesome with the girls. We called Tam the "Ellie Whisperer" because even though Ellie was stubborn with us at times, Tam could ALWAYS get her to take her full bottles (speaking of which, we may need to bribe her to come move in with us for a while because both girls are being stubborn with their bottles right now, haha!) And just to recognize nurses we met in the H-pod Kelly, the 2 Bens, Olivia, Ilene, Chrissy, just to name a few. And when we moved to the B-pod and room 11 because known as the "Twincess Room" our primaries followed, but we also got to meet some new nurses like Elizabeth. We loved getting to meet her as well. She kept things interesting, especially towards the end of our stay when she and I did all of my going home training with NG Nate baby and all the basic play time with the girls

 Fun with nurses Elizabeth and Tam and the girls

 

without these nurses, our girls would not have been able to go from the top two pictures to the bottom picture. Happy and healthy all thanks to you all!!!!

And with the knowledge and time they gave me, I owe a great deal of thanks to them for everything I learned. By them showing me how to do CPR on an infant, and the signs to look for, I was able to remain calm in our stressful moment when Trenna was choking and turning blue. 

You all will forever hold  special place in my heart because you helped take care of the most important things in the world to me, Trenna and Ellie. You all are amazing! 

And also a big thank you to those nurses that we are friends with on facebook who have showered us with lots of wisdom and advice now that we are home! You all take your job to heart and the passion and love you have for our babies and others show and it's such a beautiful gift from God!

THANK YOU!!!!!

"I thank God for you-the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers". 2 Timothy 1:3

"Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you." 2 Corinthians 9:13-14

"May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done." Ruth 2:12

Life as a Sherwood

Last week we had a big scare. After Trenna's bottle, she spit up, which isn't unusual, but she began to choke and we were unable to stimulate her back like we have before. She began to turn blue and was unresponsive. I did CPR and Trevor called 911. Very scary, but we were able to get her breathing again even before the paramedics got there. When they came, they checked her out, but as a precaution, we went to UK's ER just to be safe. The doctors there decided it would be best for her to stay over night for observation, even though her X-ray and blood work all came back fine (they were checking to see if she had any damage from the chest compressions and any aspiration from choking) so that night Trenna and I stayed the night in UK's PICU.... Thought we were done staying in hospitals, but ya know, we are learning that anything can happen we are just learning to roll with the punches. 

She didn't even act like anything had happened. Back to her self and wanting more food while we were in the ER and then snoozing away right after.

After that scare and long LONG night of no sleep in the hospital, we had to pack up and drive to Cincinnati the very next day for our regular doctor visits! The girls checked out great and we were happy we were able to see our favorite doctor, Dr. Lim :) He said she looked fine, like nothing even happened. At that time Trenna weighed 5lbs 15oz and Ellie weighed 8lbs 10oz. They are getting so big!

          Happy FALL-I-DAY time!

As many of you know me, you know that nothing makes me happier then this time of the year. I seriously LOVE fall! 

This year and the years to come will make this season even better because now we get to share it with our 2 special little pumpkins :) Football season has started up so we have to represent some of our favorite teams

I'm so happy to be able to have these sweet little girls to start sharing all the family fun of the holidays with. All this wouldn't have been possibly without the glory of God. Thinking of all the things that we could have had happen and still could happen, God is with us and always watching over these beautiful girls of ours and we are so grateful. There have been times when our faith has been tested, but when all is said and done, God shows us His almighty power and these girls continue to grow strong, happy and healthy and it's a miracle! 

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)